"Fleabag": Series One Trivia Quiz

Answer: Fleabag addressing the camera/audience directly

The series was adapted from the famed one-woman play of the same name, in which Phoebe Waller-Bridge spends most of its 80 minute run addressing the audience directly, a common device in such solo performances. The fourth wall is a theatrical convention - an imagined boundary separating the actors on stage from the audience. The convention operates similarly to a one-way mirror - the audience can see through the fourth wall and observe the events unfolding on stage, but the actors proceed unaware of the audience. When a performance breaks that illusion - like when an actor addresses the audience - it is known as "breaking the fourth wall".

Fleabag breaks the fourth wall constantly, interrupting her life with quick asides to the camera to share her inner-most thoughts and observations. The device lets us into her world and allows her to quickly build a rapport with the audience, which is useful because she's not the most sympathetic of characters (she exhibits loads of questionable behaviour throughout the series). We quickly become co-conspirators with Fleabag in her adventures, which adds to the enjoyment - it's fun to be let in on a secret - but it's just the illusion of intimacy, as we eventually learn that Fleabag is something of an unreliable narrator in that she has a secret that she is hiding from us.

As writer-performer Phoebe Waller-Bridge explained: "I knew I wanted to write about a young, sex-obsessed, angry, dry-witted woman, but the main focus of the process was her direct relationship with her audience and how she tries to manipulate and amuse and shock them, moment to moment, until she eventually bares her soul."

Answer: She shows up wearing the top that Claire "lost".

Fleabag rushes into the auditorium slightly out of breath and takes her seat next to an immaculately dressed woman. "My sister," she explains to the camera. "She's uptight and beautiful and probably anorexic, but clothes look awesome on her, so." Claire chides her for being "almost late", and Fleabag does her best to annoy her. She explains to the camera that their Dad's way of coping after the death of their Mum three years ago was to buy them tickets to feminist lectures, start a relationship with their godmother, and "eventually stop calling". She begins taking off her coat, but quickly pulls it back on when Claire notices what she has on. "I'm wearing the top that she 'lost' years ago," Fleabag whispers to the camera. "So this is gonna be tense." She sits with her eyes staring straight ahead, pretending that she didn't just expose the garment she had stolen from Claire. "Do you want to take your coat off?" Claire asks pointedly. "No," Fleabag replies.

Fleabag desperately needs help out of her current financial situation but is torn up over asking Claire for assistance. "The only thing harder than having to tell your super-high-powered, perfect, anorexic, rich super-sister that you've run out of money is having to ask her to bail you out," she explains to the camera. "I'm just gonna ask her." She repeats that last line two more times to the camera, psyching herself up. "Do you need to borrow money?" Claire asks suddenly. "No," Fleabag replies, before turning to the camera and saying, "Can't do it, can't do it. I can't do it. Can't do it."

"I want my top back," Claire eventually tells her sister. After the lecture, Fleabag changes out of the top and hands it back to Claire, who looks at her strangely for a second, then moves in to hug her. Fleabag, who isn't expecting this uncharacteristic act of affection from her sister, reacts instinctively by smacking Claire on the head. "What was that?" Fleabag cries, as Claire nurses her head. "It was terrifying. Never do that again."

Answer: A guinea pig themed café

Fleabag gives Boo a guinea pig as a birthday present, not knowing that she would embrace the rodent so wholeheartedly. Boo ends up decorating the café with all kinds of guinea-pig related items, until eventually they find themselves running a themed café. Fleabag struggles to keep the café afloat on her own once Boo is out of the picture, so she desperately needs a loan from the bank to tide her over.

Fleabag gets carried away flirting with someone she meets on the bus, which makes her late for her appointment. She runs from the bus stop to the bank, and shows up all out of breath and sweaty. "Thank you for coming in today," the Bank Manager says. "We really appreciate you considering us for your small business start-up loan." He goes on to tell her that he thought her application form was "funny" (even though that wasn't Fleabag's intention). "As you are probably aware," the Bank Manager continues, "We haven't had the opportunity to support many - any - women-led businesses since the..." Fleabag completes his sentence for him. "Sexual harassment case," she volunteers. "The sexual harassment case, yes," the Bank Manager repeats, a little too loudly. "Are you alright?" he asks when he notices Fleabag's flustered appearance. "Sorry. I just ran from the station so I'm just a bit hot," Fleabag explains. As the Bank Manager returns to her application and mentions the "one or two bits and pieces [he's] going to need to see some more on", Fleabag begins to pull her sweater over her head, but stops when she realizes that she isn't wearing a top. The sudden exposure by Fleabag of her bra stops the Bank Manager in mid-sentence. "I'm sorry, that kind of thing won't get you very far here anymore," he says apologetically. "Oh no, sorry. I thought I had a top on underneath," Fleabag says. "Yeah, okay," the Bank Manager replies, clearly not believing a word. "No, seriously. In this case, genuine accident," Fleabag offers. "I can see given our history why you might think..." the Bank Manager begins, prompting Fleabag to issue a fresh set of denials. "I wasn't trying to... I was hot," she says, but it isn't helping. "I take this kind of thing very seriously," the Bank Manager says. Things escalate, Fleabag ends up insulting the Bank Manager, and he asks her to leave.

Answer: She steals it.

Fleabag shows up at her Dad's place at two o'clock in the morning, drunk. "I have a horrible feeling that I'm a greedy, perverted, selfish, apathetic, cynical, depraved, morally bankrupt woman who can't even call herself a feminist," she tells her Dad when he opens the door. "Well, um... you get all that from your mother," he answers feebly. Fleabag kills time in the house while Dad calls her a cab by dropping in on her passive-aggressive Godmother.

Fleabag finds her in her studio and asks her what she's doing. "Oh, painting. I find the night-time very peaceful," Godmother replies sweetly, before adding, "Usually." The two women share a fake laugh. "Oh, warming up," Fleabag says to the camera. She walks over to the bookshelf and spies a small, golden sculpture of a naked, well-endowed female torso with no head or arms. "She's actually an expression of how women are subtle warriors... strong at heart," Godmother explains. "We don't have to use muscular force to get what we want. We just use our... innate femininity." Fleabag picks it up off the shelf. "Can I have it?" she asks. "No," Godmother replies, laughing sweetly but really bristling inside. She takes the sculpture from Fleabag and places it back where it belongs. Dad calls out from downstairs, causing Godmother to step out into the hallway to verify that the cab has arrived. As Fleabag and Godmother kiss each other goodbye, she can't resist one last jab. "Please look after yourself," Godmother says sweetly. "You really do look ghastly, darling."

In the cab, Fleabag opens her coat to reveal the sculpture tucked into her waistband. She nicked it from Godmother. She looks up from admiring her act of thievery, and smiles at the camera.

Answer: Boo's boyfriend

Fleabag is shopping when she hears some people laughing on the other side of the store. She turns and is surprised to see Boo's former boyfriend, who waves at her awkwardly. Fleabag is visibly shook, and she leaves the store and heads to the nearest bar. As she drowns her sorrows, we see a quick flashback to a distraught Boo standing on the side of a busy road.

In a previous episode, Fleabag tells a chatty cabbie the story of how she ended up running a café on her own. "I opened the café with my friend, Boo," she says. "She's dead now. She accidentally killed herself. It wasn't her intention but it wasn't a total accident. She didn't actually think she'd die." She goes on to explain that Boo wanted to punish her boyfriend after she discovered his infidelity by injuring herself and not letting him see her in the hospital. "She decided to walk into a busy bicycle lane, wanting to get tangled in a bike, break a finger maybe," she explains. "But as it turns out bikes go fast and flip you into the road. Three people died."

Answer: The sculpture

Fleabag approaches Claire's art-dealer husband, Martin, on the pretext of planning Claire's surprise birthday party, but she really just wants him to sell the sculpture for her. They agree on a 10 percent commission if he succeeds in finding a buyer.

Later, Martin visits Fleabag and begs her to help him shop for the perfect birthday present for her sister, as all his ideas have been rejected by Claire. "Look, this is London," Fleabag says. "Buy her something weird and expensive." Martin shakes his head. "No, it's gotta be good, all right? Help me." Against her better judgment, Fleabag accompanies Martin to a boutique, where they stare at shelves overflowing with strange apparel. Martin picks up item after item, but Fleabag shoots every one down. "This is perfect. Get her something she'd never get herself," she finally says, as she picks up a shiny gold trainer. "She'll think I've gone nuts," Martin replies. "No, she'll think you see her as this person," Fleabag says. "And everyone wants to be this person." Martin isn't so sure. "I don't know," he says. "Let's keep going."

On the night of Claire's birthday party, Martin presents a shoebox to his wife. "All of your desires are wrapped up in here," he says affectionately. Claire opens the box and looks inside. "Well, gold has always..." she starts to say, as Fleabag casts a knowing look at Martin. She's surprised when Claire removes the sculpture from the box. "Wow. That's really rather wonderful. Thank you. What is it?" she says. "It is a shrine to your body," Martin replies. Later, when Martin is alone with Fleabag, he tells her, "I told you I'd find you a buyer." Under the influence of alcohol, he leans in and kisses her, but Fleabag just flinches in disgust.

Answer: That Martin tried to kiss her

Their father had gifted the sisters with a female-only Breath of Silence Retreat for the weekend, but it seems to involve copious amounts of menial labour. "What is this? I don't even do this in my own home," Claire complains, as they are tasked with cleaning the floor on their hands and knees. "Oh, it's very simple," Fleabag whispers back. "We've paid them to let us clean their house in silence."

When Claire seems unusually emotional, Fleabag grills her for answers and learns that her sister got the Finland promotion. "I'm turning it down," Claire announces. "Go," Fleabag says. "This is what you've always wanted." Claire insists that she can't take the job because she has responsibilities. "Oh, come on. Don't let other people get in the way of what you really want," Fleabag says. "My husband isn't other people, okay? My husband is my life," Claire replies. "Your husband tried to kiss me on your birthday," Fleabag says. Claire is silent for a moment. "Did he?" she asks. Fleabag nods. Claire gets up and leaves.

The next morning, Fleabag awakes to find Claire gone. On the blackboard in the meditation room, Claire had written, "Gone home. Left money at reception. Just needed a bit of quiet."

Answer: She drops a tray of champagne glasses on the floor.

The whole family is tasked to attend Godmother's "Sexhibition". As she explains to the girls, "It's simply a journey through my physical and sexual life, climaxing in a few pieces inspired by and moulded on your father." When Fleabag arrives, Godmother puts her to work serving the exhibition guests. She even places a sticker on her that says "Here to help". Godmother introduces her show to her guests, and takes the opportunity to highlight the missing sculpture. "A few weeks ago, one of my most delicate pieces was stolen from my studio. But in a sense, it was a blessing. In fact, her brutal snatching made me think of all the women of the world who have been robbed of their freedom, of their happiness, and, in the saddest of cases, of their bodies. So in many ways I have to thank the thief for creating my most profound piece of work to date," she says, while motioning to an empty pedestal. "A woman robbed." The crowd erupts in polite applause.

The exhibition doesn't go well for Fleabag, who has to endure her casual 'no-strings-attached' relationship leaving her because he's in love with someone else, as well as an encounter with her ex-boyfriend, who is there with his new girlfriend. Claire showing up with Martin and giving her the cold shoulder is the last straw. Fleabag begins to spiral, and eventually becomes quite drunk on the champagne she is serving. When Godmother treats her like the help, she defiantly drops a tray of champagne glasses on the floor. She is confronted by Dad, who tells her that he deserves to be happy and should be allowed to move on. Godmother savours the moment, and makes Fleabag clean up her mess.

Answer: That Fleabag was implicated in Boo's death

Claire had told Fleabag at Mum's memorial lunch that she was going to leave Martin and take the job in Finland, so Fleabag was confused when Claire showed up at the exhibition with her husband. "What is he doing here?" Fleabag asks. "You're not going to Finland?" Claire shakes her head, as Martin appears. "He didn't try to kiss you," Claire tells her. "He says it was more like the other way around." Fleabag denies Martin's version of events, but Claire doesn't want to hear it. "How can I believe you," she says, "After what you did to Boo?"

In flashbacks, we see that Fleabag was the one who slept with Boo's boyfriend, which prompted Boo to attempt the "accident" that would take her life. For the first time, Fleabag recoils from the camera, only to be confronted with another. She turns away again, no longer wanting or enjoying the scrutiny. We see more flashbacks of Fleabag succumbing to the advances from Boo's boyfriend, and of Boo telling Fleabag that she found out that he slept with someone else, and that she was going to hurt herself so that he would be sorry for what he did. Finally, we see a distraught Boo stepping off from the curb and into the busy bike lane.

The moment marks a turning point for Fleabag's relationship with her audience. "I always told myself the rule I had was that she only needed the camera there because she was constantly on the verge of needing to confess," Phoebe Waller-Bridge explained to IndieWire. In another interview, she said: "I was determined for [the audience] to feel like they were having a personal relationship with her - hence the audience address - and the absolute ideal situation was that at the beginning you should feel she wants you there, and, by the end, that she wishes she hadn't let you in."

Answer: The Bank Manager

Fleabag goes back to the café and finds herself standing by the curb, just like Boo. A car pulls up. The passenger side window rolls down, and we see that it is the Bank Manager. Fleabag had run into the Bank Manager during the silent retreat - he was in a separate group undergoing a sexual harassment workshop - and the two commiserated about the sorry state of their lives over a cigarette.

"You okay?" he asks. Inside the café, the Bank Manager looks around and has a realisation. "I thought in the application for your loan it said you ran a café for guinea pigs. That's why I thought it was funny," he says. "It's guinea pig themed," Fleabag explains. "That makes sense," he replies. Fleabag breaks down, and confesses everything to the Bank Manager - how she's responsible for the failure of the café, her relationships with her family, and how she ruins everything with sex. "And I know that my body, as it is now, really is the only thing I have left and when that gets old," she says in tears, "I may as well just kill it." She goes on to say that "either everyone feels like this a little bit and they're just not talking about it", or she is completely alone.

The Bank Manager excuses himself politely, but returns a few moments later with a folder from his car. "People make mistakes," he says kindly. "That's why they put rubbers on the ends of pencils," Fleabag says, quoting something Boo once said. "I think we should start your interview again," the Bank Manager says, as he opens the folder. "I've read through your application form. Says you run a café for guinea pigs." Fleabag laughs spontaneously. "Told you it was funny," the Bank Manager says. He looks up and smiles at her.